Volume 4, Issue 11

U=U: The New HIV Paradigm?

Editor's note:

If you’re interested in other valuable HIV medical education, our new program ODM: Finding The Invisible Patient is now available on-demand! Start the activity here: https://odmhiv.dkbmed.com/

Women with HIV, especially minorities and those below the poverty line, are often also affected by interpersonal violence, substance abuse, and depression. Women affected by this syndemic have lower medication adherence and viral suppression. By asking the right questions, you can identify women who need help. Learn how to find the invisible patient.

In this issue:

U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable. People with HIV viral loads so low as to be undetectable — are they really no longer able to transmit the virus? What does the science say? And does awareness of the evidence translate into personal acceptance and belief?

In this issue, Dr. Jill Blumenthal from the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at the University of California San Diego analyzes the recent data investigating PrEP, TasP, and U=U to answer these questions.

Learning objectives:

Explain the current data supporting a negligible transmission risk for patients with an undetectable viral load.

Assess the comfort of gay and bisexual men with prevention strategies of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP).

Describe provider attitudes toward U=U and dissemination of this information to patients.

Author:

Jill Blumenthal, MD

Assistant Professor of MedicineDivision of Infectious Diseases and Global Public HealthDepartment of MedicineUniversity of California San Diego

Guest Faculty Disclosures

Dr. Blumenthal has disclosed that she has served as a principal investigator (contracted research) for Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Unlabeled/Unapproved Uses

Dr. Blumenthal has indicated that there will be no references to the unlabeled/unapproved uses of any drugs or products.

Program Directors:

Allison L. Agwu, MD, ScM, FAAP, FIDSA

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Adult Infectious DiseasesJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, Maryland